Protestors at a demonstration against the Poll Tax, which later became a riot known as the 'Battle of Trafalgar'. Photo: Getty Images

Let me confess: I am a reluctant member of this so-called Generation Y. For one thing, the cohort is rather ill-defined, taking in all those born after 1980 as though it were a homogeneous group. Part of me has always regarded these generational constructs as the dubious creation of marketing and advertising spivs.

For another thing, the Gen Y label has become a shorthand of abuse. Almost daily now, we read or hear someone bemoaning how Gen Y embodies all the vices of our decadent society: the narcissism, the rampant individualism, the venal fickleness and, yes, those grotesque ''onesies''. Want to know what's wrong with society? It's this new breed of wanton youth, of course.

But I suppose we are stuck with generational tags, however imprecise and imperfect they may be. And there is some value to them.

After all, modern societies never remain static. Change is a constant. In response to circumstances, our values shift, and this happens over generations. As the sociologist Karl Mannheim posited, it is often the formative experiences of youth, shared by contemporaries, that can have the strongest influence in shaping individuals' attitudes.

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I've just returned from a few weeks visiting Britain, where there is a live debate about generational politics. There's much talk there about a ''lost generation'', and for good reason.

The spell of summer heat, and triumphs by the British and Irish Lions in the rugby and Andy Murray at Wimbledon couldn't mask one thing: the new austerity looms large.

In his spending review last month, the conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced an extra £11.5 billion in spending cuts, including punitive new welfare measures and extensive cuts to the public service. But he did so with the Labour opposition's acquiescence, a testament to the grim economic realities facing Britain.

Such bleakness is reflected in the state of British youth. The country has 20 per cent youth unemployment (though this pales in comparison with Greece and Spain). There is every likelihood Britain's Gen Y will learn painfully that history doesn't follow the Whiggish path of progress. They are facing the very real prospect that they will live shorter and poorer lives than their parents.

But their values also appear resigned to a more brutish society. A recent survey by Ipsos MORI highlighted that members of Britain's Gen Y are the least likely to support higher taxes and government spending on welfare (compared with the pre-war generation, baby-boomers and Generation X).

Some, such as The Guardian's left-wing columnist John Harris, conclude that this is because Gen Y has ''grown up in a country in which postwar collectivism is increasingly but a distant memory, and the free-market world view handed on from Thatcher, to Major to Blair and Brown and now Cameron, is seemingly as ordinary and immovable as the weather''. There is much truth in that. The welfare state, regarded by previous generations as the achievements of a civilised society, is now considered a drag on productivity, enterprise and initiative. It is telling that young British voters are supporting the Conservatives at a substantially higher level than a decade ago.

The circumstances of Australia's Gen Y are much different from those of its British counterpart, of course. Our economy has escaped recession. Youth unemployment isn't a scourge here. Australian youth, unlike British, aren't confronted with ''managed decline'' as a nation.

But to what extent might Australia's Gen Y share the neo-liberal attitudes of Britain's Gen Y?

Those like me, coming from a social-democratic perspective, find it tempting to believe that Australia's Gen Y has been culturally formed by the aspirational nationalism of the Howard years. In Per Capita's tax survey of 2012, for instance, it was respondents in the 25-34-year-old bracket that had the most negative view of the current level of taxation (63 per cent said they paid too much). Such attitudes may only be bolstered by their experience of prosperity. This is a generation that has never really had to experience the harsh realities of a recession. It hasn't witnessed what a social safety net can do in times of hardship.

Yet, Generation Y is only cautiously optimistic about its prospects. A fading mining boom and an exorbitant housing market are keeping expectations rather modest.

There is also a certain cynicism within Gen Y, particularly as it concerns conventional politics. Last week, the Australia Institute published the results of a survey that found that 47 per cent of respondents aged 17-25 believed that no party best represents the needs of young people. About one-third said they are not really interested in politics.

Gen Y's detractors will no doubt see in this further evidence of its degenerate ways, its lack of civic engagement. When it comes to young people, it was ever thus. Leaving aside the onesies and the selfies, however, it's far from clear that Gen Y is really all that different from the rest of society.

Youth has always been a measure of any society's health, but a society's perception of youth is equally telling. Might it be that the hate directed at Gen Y is really a case of projection? In all the Gen Y bashing, perhaps what we're seeing is a society that isn't that happy about what it sees in itself.

Tim Soutphommasane is a columnist for The Age and presenter of the series Mongrel Nation on ABC Radio National.

Twitter: @timsout

113 comments

Gen Y is the child care generation. Not sure how you judge a generation that was left to raise themselves.

Commenter

Aquarian

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 7:10AM

I went to childcare in the 60s, and seemed to survive it to become a contributing member of society.

Commenter

Nick

Location

Boomerland/X World

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 7:47AM

a society that puts it's children out on adjistment deserved what it gets.

Commenter

Tin

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 7:53AM

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right, they were raised by people who had no love for them.

I've always thought being raised on social media was an issue as well.

And being exposed to R rated material too young. Youth culture is also more violent than ever.

Commenter

sarajane

Location

melbourne

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 8:14AM

I think you're onto something re childcare, can't be good for kids just growing up and many there are unintended negative consequences like narcissism, lack of consideration and empathy for others.

Commenter

QED

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 8:30AM

You work with the society you're given. As a Gen Y dad with two kids under 4, I've been very happy to give my kids early exposure to childcare (2 days a week) because it means they get socialised and learn to deal with non-idealised situations earlier (ie that the world isn't all about them).

What does concern me is the (mostly) women who feel guilt-pressured into staying at home, breast-feeding exclusively, trying to be perfect in all respects, etc, all by themselves with no community support. I think that situation is more damaging for the kids and the mum, and not particularly fair on either of them. (You're part of the problem, my holier-than-thou fellow commenters.)

In the absence of an easy way to build local communities, particularly given that governments seem focused on getting both parents back into work full-time as a "productivity" measure, I'm very grateful that the childcare services for my kids exist.

The conversation we and our political parties aren't having is how to make workplaces move on from the out of date 5-day, 8-hour workweek which would support better balancing of work-family responsibilities by both genders.

Commenter

GuruJ

Location

Canberra, Australia

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 9:30AM

It is the philosophies and policies of neo-conservatives like Thatcher & Howard who are to blame. It all seems to be panning out like George Orwell's 1984, but with more corporate sugar coating and mindless distractions. As Christine Milne, leader of the Australian Greens recently said quoting Einstein, "You cannot solve problems with the same mindset that created them." It amazes me that more people can't see that by voting for the same tired old major parties that things aren't really going to progress much. All young people (and not only young) should be voting Greens which are the only party with the long term best interests of Australia and the very planet which sustains all of life, in mind.

Commenter

Progressive

Location

planet Earth

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 10:38AM

Excellent guruj, this is exactly what needs to happen! Businessness quite simply have to start adapting to the needs of employees and people's expectations of women and children (and family life in general), needs to change. Past generations need to recognise that the world has changed and that the standards imposed by older generations on the younger (those reponsible for propping up the economy for their retirement), are no longer viable. Less guilt and more of an understanding approach to how modern families need to organise themselves would be a useful converstation to start up.

Commenter

LYoung

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 11:14AM

BTW, Aquarian, there is no evidence whatsoever that supports the notion that kids are worse off for being put into child care. In fact, my niece went into child care when she was three years old and when she moved up to kinda 'piece of cake' she said see ya mum...and off she went! It's just another beat up on the modern woman and the modern family. You're not helping.

Commenter

LYoung

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 15, 2013, 11:16AM

Tin 7.53 "puts it's kids out on agistment" LOL, agistment is too nice a word, they are barn-raised, ho-ho